UK Visa and Immigration, Home office has announced that the Tier 1 exceptional talent visa, previously reserved for those with exceptional talent or exceptional promise in science, humanities, engineering, medicine, digital technology or the arts, is now available to fashion designers. As part of wider plans to attract top foreign talent to Britain, Tier 1 exceptional talent visa availability had already been doubled last year to 2,000 a year.

Sanwar Ali workpermit.com comment:

The tier 1 exceptional talent visa category is worth considering. It is difficult to obtain. However, for a certain number of people who are talented and may be able to achieve great things it is worth looking at. You do not need a job to apply under this visa category and you can work for anyone. Like the discontinued tier 1 general visa category it offers much more freedom for the migrant than the tier 2 visa category. It is also not necessary for the employer to have a tier 2 sponsor licence to employ someone under this UK visa category. It should be noted that under this category there is also tier 1 exceptional promise visa which may be easier to come under. If the case is well presented you may very well be able to succeed under this UK visa category.

The expansion of the Tier 1 exceptional talent visa route coincides with the introduction of a new UK startup visa, unveiled by the Home Office and set to launch in Spring 2019, plus a number of other significant changes to UK immigration legislation.

To qualify for a Tier 1 exceptional talent visa, applicants must be from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland and demonstrate that they have made or have the potential to make ground-breaking contributions to their field of expertise.

A Home Office statement said: “Applications made by fashion designers will be assessed by the British Fashion Council under the endorsement remit of Arts Council England, which is one of five existing endorsing bodies. The route will also be made available to a wider pool of TV and film applicants.”

UK visa changes

In addition to changes to the Tier 1 exceptional talent route and the announcement of a new startup visa, the Home Office made a number of other changes to UK immigration legislation, including:

The creation of a new form of leave for 220 children who arrived under the Dubs amendment to ensure those who do not qualify for refugee status or humanitarian protection can still remain in the UK long-term

The addition of 11 countries, including China, to a list of nations from which overseas students will be able to benefit from a streamlined application process

A new settlement category for Turkish business people, workers and their families who are in the UK under the EU-Turkey European Communities Association Agreement (ECAA)

Allowing holders of an electronic visa waiver to present the document in a digital format for the first time

Tier 2 visa cap exemption for doctors and nurses

Elsewhere, from 6 July 2018 UKVI has exempted non-EU doctors and nurses from the Tier 2 visa cap for those applying from abroad, while Afghan interpreters and their families who have relocated to Britain can apply, free of charge, for UK permanent residence.

The UK’s immigration minister, Caroline Nokes, said: “These changes highlight that we are able to adapt to meet the demands of our frontline services and ensure we are able to attract people who can bring real benefits to our creative industries.”

“At the same time we are confirming our commitment to those children in need with our ongoing support while demonstrating our recognition for people who have risked their lives by serving with our armed forces.”

Further information, help, and advice with a Tier 1 exceptional talent visa

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